Like every child I did not choose my name…
I was at my parent’s whim….
They chose ton name me James (from the Bible)
although I’ve always preferred Jim.
For my middle name they chose Otto…
after my Grandpa who died when I was a little boy.
Add Jim and Otto to my last name Yerman
and my initials spell out JOY.
When I was young some friends would call me Joy
and around me mixed feelings would swirl….
At first I was not happy…I thought it made me sound too much like a girl.
Until I learned to smile when I heard them call me Joy
to see it as a compliment just the same…
To find the joy within that moment that is inherent in my name.
And from that lesson taught to me on a playground…
all those years ago…
I’ve learned to look for joy wherever I may go.
Which makes me wonder…
Did my initials guide me on this joyous path
from the time I was a boy
or without them would I have been the person
who so easily discovers joy?
Of course I’ll never know the answer…
If it was me…or the initials of my name…
But on days like today…when I stop to think about it…
I thank Grandpa Otto…just the same.
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